Regions

Regions

In the Middle Ages Romanians lived in three distinct principalities: Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania. Moldavia and Wallachia were under the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire while Transylvania was occupied by the Austrian-Hungarians. In 1600, Michael the Brave united for the first time the three principalities under one flag, but one year later he was assassinated by the Hungarians and the unification dissolved. Modern Romania was formed in 1859 through the union of Wallachia and Moldavia, and then extended in 1918 through the union of Transylvania, as well as Bukovina and Basarabia – parts of Moldavia temporarily aquired by the Habsburgs ( 1775 – 1918 ), respectively by the Russian Empire between 1812 and 1917.